RUSSIA

08.04.12

Protests at ‘Pussy Riot’ Trial

Misha Japaridze / AP Photo

In Russia, the public trial of punk trio ‘Pussy Riot’ has become a cause célèbre, and critics of Putin's illiberal regime are growing bolder. Three demonstrators were detained Saturday for climbing up the balcony of a Moscow courtroom where the band members stood accused of "hooliganism." The protests lit flares while crying out "Freedom for Pussy Riot!" If convicted, the band could face seven years in jail. The trio mounted an anti-Putin "punk prayer" protest in a Moscow cathedral earlier this year.